The Mandalorian: Season 3, Chapter 19 - the Good, the Bad and the U.G.L.Y.

 2023, Disney+

Chapter 19, The Convert
d. Lee Isaac Chung

The Good

Both Din Djarin has bathed in the waters of the mines of Mandalore, which means that, by creed, they are redeemed of their transgressions in whatever bonkers religion Din belongs to. He can return to his clan...but on the way back to Bo Katan's palace they are targeted by a squad of TIE Interceptors. The in-atmosphere dogfighting that results is so exciting, especially when Din's modified N-1 starfighter makes it into the fight. But Bo-Katan's palace being bombed is a gut punch and Katee Sackoff's reaction is felt.

A detour is then made to Coruscant, where we spend time with Dr. Penn Pershing, the cloning scientist who was experimenting on Grogu. He has been accepted into the New Republic's "Amnesty" program, where Imperials are rehabilitated and placed back in society. It starts off in a pretty quiet manner, with street scenes, and taxi rides, it's a welcome slice-of-life take on Coruscant, at least for a while. Pershing meets another "Amnesty" program member, Elia Kane, whom he crossed paths with on Moff Gideon's ship but had never actually met. They forge a friendship. Though Pershing is content to be part of the New Republic in any capacity, he feels remorse for not being able to continue his cloning work for the benefit of everyone, since cloning is an illegal pursuit. Kane begins to push Purshing into circumventing the rules and leads him on a mission to recover medical technology from a shipyard. There's a tension from the get-go. Kane seemed to be a true believer in the Empire, where Pershing was definitely a reticent conscript. Though she was accepted and passed through the Amnesty program, we're clearly given the sense that she's not what she appears to be, but also not certain her motivation. Is she there to extract Pershing somehow? Is there something more personal? Or is she genuinely just trying to help him?

In the end, Din and Bo-Katan are welcomed into the clan, despite Bo not being a believer, and despite Bo's contention that these crazy zealots are kind of the worst part of Mandalorian culture, they're still Mandalorian, and she seems to find comfort in being in their presence.

The Bad
Other than a few early scenes on Coruscant where the Volume is particularly felt (the scenes aren't as crowded as they probably would be in a cinematic production, and the depth of field just doesn't seem right), not a lot of bad here. Part of the "Volume" presenting itself is the shock of jumping from the dogfights into Dr. Pershing's everyday life on the city planet. so the viewer is really hyper-focused on taking in the surroundings, as we settle into this diversion from our main story.

Unreal Problems
One of the aspects of Star Wars that seems always present but isn't explored much is the class structures in place. We greet Pershing again giving a speech to a massive and packed auditorium, and he's received afterwards by all the societal elites who seem to enjoy the novelty of encountering a reformed Imperial. If anything, these Coruscant elites seemed to have been completely indifferent and largely unaffected by any shifts in power. 

But what kind of sticks with me is Pershing and the other Amnesty candidates are housed in a dedicated area together, they are assigned (and referred to by) an alphanumeric code, rather than by name. So basically ghettoized and dehumanized.  I honestly don't know what you're supposed to do with remaining space nazis when the space nazis are defeated, especially when it's not like the space nazis have a home territory to return to. But I don't think stripping them of their humanity and scarlet-lettering them is the right tactic either. It's complicated.

Similarly I wonder about the effort, the labor and materials of decommissioning, deconstructing, and destroying all Impersial technology and transportation. Symbolically I guess it's a necessity to take apart those signifiers of oppression, but it's interesting what the New Republic choose to retain, specifically the "mind flayer", a torture device repurposed for retraining and soothing the Imperial mind.  Again, I don't have the answers here, but, it's all suitably uncomfortable.

Galaxy Building

We've spent time on Coruscant in the past, particularly a lot of time in The Clone Wars, but even though it's a little janky, I liked the weird glowing popsicles and the exposed mountaintop (the tallest natural peak on the planet) as the only bit of visible land on Coruscant.

We're also getting just the smallest bits of insight into the progression of the Empire into the New Republic, just as we're getting the building of the Empire in Bad Batch.

Looking Forward
The big question is, obviously, whose TIE Interceptors were those. They were obviously being directed by someone, not just on patrol. But whom?

And...well, just what is Kane up to? I wonder if we'll ever know. I'm mean, I assume it's a story plot for the season, but I also won't be surprised if we never get closure in this show.

I expect Bo-Katan in the next episode to sit down with the Armorer and talk through her espying of the Mithosaur and what it means for her and their people. The Armorer is the closest thing the Mandalorians have to a sage elder, so she would be the guiding point for any lost souls, as we've seen with Din many times.

Yes, toys of that please

I loved Andor, and this episode was very in league with Andor's storytelling (political intrigue and potential espionage).  But, that love hasn't led to an incredible desire for Andor toys, and I have so far resisted purchasing the few figures that have already emerged. If I start, I won't want to stop. Similarly, I don't need bureaucratic action figures. Been there, done that (*cough*Episode1*cough). But a Vintage Collection TIE Interceptor? Maybe. Bo-Katan's starship ("the Gauntlet")? Umm...it's maybe too "prequels" for my collection, but I just might partake. But I would happily and rapidly buy a new R5-D4 (I have an Power of the Force version but he's out of scale with Vintage Collection).